I need to confess something… I may have accidentally started a project that’s taken over my office. 😅
It all began when I stuck a couple of posts in local Facebook groups asking if anyone had spare books they didn’t want anymore. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much back — maybe a bag here or there. Instead, my inbox blew up. I was completely inundated with offers.
And because I can’t bring myself to say no (especially knowing some of these books might otherwise end up in landfill), I went and collected them all. Every. Single. One. Which is how I somehow ended up with around 500 books stacked in my home office.
That’s where Project-500 was born.
Sharing the Books at Work
Once I had the books, I’ll be honest — the panic set in. Where on earth was I going to keep them all? How would I ever get through them? (I can’t exactly add everything to my already enormous TBR pile 🙈). For a moment, I was sat in my office surrounded by teetering stacks of paperbacks, wondering what the hell I’d just signed myself up for.
That’s when I started looking for a way to share them more widely, and I stumbled across BookCrossing — a community dedicated to “releasing” books back into the world for others to discover. I loved the idea of scattering stories across the UK like little drops of literary fairy dust.
So, Project-500 became my way of recycling these donations: part workplace kindness project, part national book adventure.
After chatting with our Internal Communications Manager, we featured Project-500 in the company newsletter under a section called Emma’s Chapter of Kindness, highlighting the range of genres available and encouraging colleagues to pick up a bundle.
I also followed up with a Workplace post, giving colleagues a link to browse the collection online and letting them simply send me a list of what they wanted, then arrange a time to collect their books from the office. It was a simple, friendly way to make sure the books found new homes quickly and easily, and the response has been fantastic.
40 Books Already Rehomed
In just the first week, 40 books found new homes with colleagues. That’s roughly £300 worth of books rescued from landfill or recycling centres.
It’s been amazing seeing books go from forgotten piles to someone’s next favourite read. Honestly, one person’s “rubbish” really can be another’s treasure — and it makes all the chaos totally worth it.
Why I Started Project-500
If you’ve ever been on a Teams call with me recently, you’ll know exactly why I had to do this… that blur of colourful stacks behind me? Yep, those are the books. 😂
Project-500 isn’t just about freeing up office space (though that’s a bonus!). It’s about:
- Kindness 💚 – turning unwanted books into little acts of sharing.
- Sustainability ♻️ – giving books a second life instead of letting them go to waste.
- Community 🤝 – sparking conversations and connections at work.
This Week’s Spotlight: Fantasy Favourites
Every week I’ll be mixing in new selections, and this week it’s all about fantasy. 🧙♂️🐉
Think Terry Pratchett’s wit or Robert Rankin’s quirky worlds, so the team are in for a treat. Seeing someone light up when they spot a title they’ve always wanted (or rediscover an old favourite) is genuinely one of the highlights of my week.
A Thought to End On
George R.R. Martin once wrote:
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.”
Here’s to a thousand lives being shared, one book at a time, through Project-500.
